Tying doctors’ hands

Published: Thursday, June 5, 2014 at 2:23 p.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, June 5, 2014 at 2:23 p.m.

My husband and I don’t want to be doctors in the traditional sense anymore. For years, we’ve tried our best to help our patients. This gets harder every year because the government stands in our way.

Obamacare is the latest barrier between providers and patients. Strangely, its drafters intended it to be the opposite. They recognized what everyone knows: Health care is hellish for patients. Long wait times, unending paperwork, constantly increasing prices — patients must routinely deal with one of the most bizarre systems ever devised. Obamacare, they promised, could simplify and streamline health care for everyone.

They were wrong. Health care was and is impossible to navigate because it is wrapped in layers of red tape and government regulations. Obamacare only adds to this mess — and patients and health care providers will suffer for it.

We’ve been building towards Obamacare for years. I have practiced pediatric medicine in Shreveport since the early ‘90s; my husband also practices internal medicine here in the state. Both of our careers — I worked primarily with Medicaid patients, he works primarily with patients with private insurance and Medicare — demonstrate the dangers of letting government dictate what happens at the front door of the practice, in the treatment room, and everywhere in between.

Consider first my experience with Medicaid. Here in Louisiana, over 1.2 million people are enrolled in the program. They are our neighbors who deserve quality health care. As I was taught in medical school, we should give aid to the sick and poor however possible.

The government makes this difficult. Medicaid is a complicated program where doctors must submit carefully coded paperwork in order to get paid. The paperwork itself adds millions in regulatory and compliance costs. Yet once we do this, the government often refuses to pay for the treatment we performed. I often reflect that while no one would let a lawyer perform their heart surgery, we regularly let bureaucrats with no medical experience dictate our health care policy.

Before Obamacare, when we submitted for reimbursement, the government typically paid only 40 percent of the treatment’s cost. This led many doctors to refuse Medicaid patients. They want to help them but they can’t go out of business to do it.

Obamacare exacerbated these problems. The reimbursement rate is now closer to 25 percent. With less money, we must also pay for the law’s increased regulatory costs. Finally, Washington restricted which services Medicaid covers, including pediatric services like mine.

Now many Medicaid recipients can’t get the services they need or visit the doctors they want. These are our neighbors who need help — but the government is restricting their ability to get it.

Obamacare’s problems aren’t limited to Medicaid. My husband’s experience with private insurance and Medicare is equally educational. Since Obamacare passed, he has had to deal with the more than 11,000 pages of regulation created under the law. Hospitals and private practices must hire more administrators and lawyers to deal with this system — all of which leads to higher prices. Obamacare also adds to the bill by, among other things, mandating what treatments and services private health insurance plans must cover.

This one-size-fits-all approach limits patient freedom while picking their pockets. Here in Louisiana, Obamacare’s plans on the federal exchanges are on average 53 percent more expensive than before. But what are you paying for? Often a narrower network, a higher deductible, and you lose your doctor. We’ve seen this happen to our own patients. Yet when it does, all we can say is, “I’m sorry” and urge them to write a letter to bureaucrats and politicians Washington.

That’s a poor substitute for actual medical care. Yet it’s the natural result of the government’s increasing intrusion into health care. Red tape is not real reform. Across the country, physicians like us are leaving our profession because the government stands between us and our patients. That’s not what the doctor ordered — but it’s exactly what Washington delivered with Obamacare.

<p>My husband and I don't want to be doctors in the traditional sense anymore. For years, we've tried our best to help our patients. This gets harder every year because the government stands in our way.</p><p>Obamacare is the latest barrier between providers and patients. Strangely, its drafters intended it to be the opposite. They recognized what everyone knows: Health care is hellish for patients. Long wait times, unending paperwork, constantly increasing prices — patients must routinely deal with one of the most bizarre systems ever devised. Obamacare, they promised, could simplify and streamline health care for everyone.</p><p>They were wrong. Health care was and is impossible to navigate because it is wrapped in layers of red tape and government regulations. Obamacare only adds to this mess — and patients and health care providers will suffer for it.</p><p>We've been building towards Obamacare for years. I have practiced pediatric medicine in Shreveport since the early '90s; my husband also practices internal medicine here in the state. Both of our careers — I worked primarily with Medicaid patients, he works primarily with patients with private insurance and Medicare — demonstrate the dangers of letting government dictate what happens at the front door of the practice, in the treatment room, and everywhere in between.</p><p>Consider first my experience with Medicaid. Here in Louisiana, over 1.2 million people are enrolled in the program. They are our neighbors who deserve quality health care. As I was taught in medical school, we should give aid to the sick and poor however possible.</p><p>The government makes this difficult. Medicaid is a complicated program where doctors must submit carefully coded paperwork in order to get paid. The paperwork itself adds millions in regulatory and compliance costs. Yet once we do this, the government often refuses to pay for the treatment we performed. I often reflect that while no one would let a lawyer perform their heart surgery, we regularly let bureaucrats with no medical experience dictate our health care policy.</p><p>Before Obamacare, when we submitted for reimbursement, the government typically paid only 40 percent of the treatment's cost. This led many doctors to refuse Medicaid patients. They want to help them but they can't go out of business to do it.</p><p>Obamacare exacerbated these problems. The reimbursement rate is now closer to 25 percent. With less money, we must also pay for the law's increased regulatory costs. Finally, Washington restricted which services Medicaid covers, including pediatric services like mine.</p><p>Now many Medicaid recipients can't get the services they need or visit the doctors they want. These are our neighbors who need help — but the government is restricting their ability to get it.</p><p>Obamacare's problems aren't limited to Medicaid. My husband's experience with private insurance and Medicare is equally educational. Since Obamacare passed, he has had to deal with the more than 11,000 pages of regulation created under the law. Hospitals and private practices must hire more administrators and lawyers to deal with this system — all of which leads to higher prices. Obamacare also adds to the bill by, among other things, mandating what treatments and services private health insurance plans must cover.</p><p>This one-size-fits-all approach limits patient freedom while picking their pockets. Here in Louisiana, Obamacare's plans on the federal exchanges are on average 53 percent more expensive than before. But what are you paying for? Often a narrower network, a higher deductible, and you lose your doctor. We've seen this happen to our own patients. Yet when it does, all we can say is, “I'm sorry” and urge them to write a letter to bureaucrats and politicians Washington.</p><p>That's a poor substitute for actual medical care. Yet it's the natural result of the government's increasing intrusion into health care. Red tape is not real reform. Across the country, physicians like us are leaving our profession because the government stands between us and our patients. That's not what the doctor ordered — but it's exactly what Washington delivered with Obamacare.</p><p> </p><p>Dr. Regina Fakner is a pediatrician from Shreveport.</p>